Golden and red treesNod to the soft breeze,As it whispers, "Winter is near;"And the brown nuts fallAt the wind's loud call,For this is the Fall of the year.Good-by, sweet flowers!Through bright Summer hoursYou have filled our hearts with cheerWe shall miss you so,And yet you must go,For this is the Fall of the year.Now the days grow cold,As the year grows old,And the meadows are brown and sere;Brave robin redbreastHas gone from his nest,For this is the Fall of the year.I do softly prayAt the close of day,That the little children, so dear,May as purely growAs the fleecy snowThat follows the Fall of the year.
"Such a cold day," sighed Mother Nature, "and no blankets to keep my babies warm! Little Jack Frost came over the hill last night, and what mischief the boy is planning to do now, it is hard to tell. He is such a happy little fellow, but is always up to some prank. If Father Winter does not send me some blankets soon, I fear Jack will pinch my babies' toes, and pull their ears, and make them shiver till they am ready to freeze. I have put them to bed and told them to keep quiet, and perhaps Jack will not see them."
"Ha! ha! ha!" laughed a tinkling voice right at the dear old lady's elbow. "Some of your children did not mind you. Early this morning I found one of them whispering to a sunbeam, and under the hedge found a tiny blue aster. I shook her till she was so cold she was glad to go back to bed again. Ha! ha! ha!" and Jack gave Mother Nature such a hug that she shivered, and murmured: "Poor babies! I must write a letter to Father Winter."
This is what the letter said:
Earthdom, November 1, 1893.
Dear Father Winter:—Have you any warm blankets for my babies? The season is coming when they should take a long, long nap, and Jack is up to his tricks again. Please send me some blankets soon.
From your old friend,
Mother Nature.
This letter she directed to
King Winter, The Polar Regions, Cloud-dom.
Then she called her messenger, Autumn Wind, and sent him northward with her message. King Winter was seated on his throne at the back of the North Wind, planning his coming work in Earthdom, when Autumn Wind arrived with the letter.
"Deary me! deary me!" said the king, "has Jack Frost gone to bother Mother Nature? I meant he should wait for me this year. But something must be done. Ho! Snowflake, come here, and bring your sisters and brothers with you."
In a few moments a troop of dainty beings clothed in white came dancing along. "What do you wish, Father Winter?" they asked.
"Mother Nature has need of you, my helpers," replied the king. "You must, stop the next passing cloud, and go down to Earthdom, and cover up the babies. Jack is there, and they are freezing."
Just then a golden-edged cloud floated by, and the snowflakes huddled together on it and were soon travelling earthward. The sun was setting as they passed the western gate of the city, and the cloud was tinged with red and gold. By and by it began to grow dark, and the little cloud grew larger and larger, and before long the night came. In the morning the little children of Earthdom were surprised to see a white covering over the land.
"See the snow, the beautiful snow" they cried; and the sleds were brought out, and such a merry time as they had playing in the white drifts! But I wonder if any of them knew what the snow really came for, and how glad dear Mother Nature was because her babies were sleeping safe and warm under the downy snowflake blankets.
Once there lay a little babySleeping in the fragrant hay,And this lovely infant strangerBrought our first glad Christmas day.Shepherds on the hillside, watchingOver wandering flocks at night,Heard a strange, sweet strain of music,Saw a clear and heavenly light.Listened to the angels' story:—How, in David's town so still,Slept the infant King of Glory,Dreaming of sweet peace, good will.And a star of radiant splendorLed them where the baby lay,Lowly cradled in a manger,On that far-off Christmas day.Though that day was long ago,Every child throughout the earthLoves to hear each year the storyOf the gentle Christ Child's birth.And they seem to see the beautyOf the eastern star again;And repeat the angels' chorus:"Peace on earth, good will to men."
Long, long ago, in the blue sky above the hills of Bethlehem, twinkled the stars. Very early in the morning they would sing together and would tell each other of what they had seen during the long night.
They used to watch the shepherds guarding their flocks upon the hillsides, and one bright evening star that looked down upon the earth earlier than the others, would tell stories of little children whispering their prayers at the twilight hour. One wintry night a new star came to visit the other stars. It was so radiant that its rays shone upon the gray hills and made them light as day. It had come on a wonderful errand. The shepherds saw it and were frightened at its strange brightness; but an angel came to them and said: "Do not be afraid; the star has come to bring you good, tidings of great joy, and to show you the place where a little babe is born,—a little babe whose name is Jesus, and who will give peace and joy to the whole world."
Then the shepherds heard some singing,—beautiful singing, for a great many angels had come to tell the good news; and the star grew larger and brighter, it was so glad. When the angels had gone back to Heaven, the shepherds said, "Let us go and see this child." So they left their flocks sleeping on the hillsides, and took their crooks in their hands and followed the star, which travelled on and on till it led them to the little stable in Bethlehem, when the Baby Jesus was cradled in a manger. Then the star moved on again to a country far away, where some good, wise men lived. They saw the bright light, and noticed the star moving on and on, as if it were showing them the way to go. So they, too, followed the star till it rested above the birthplace of Jesus. Then the wise men went in and gave their best gifts to the baby, and they and the shepherds knelt and thanked God for sending the little Christ Child to be the best Christmas present the great world ever had. The star watched over them, casting a peaceful light over all. At last the dawn came over the hill tops, and the star went away, far back into the blue heavens, to tell the other stars the story of our first glad Christmas day.
There is a quiet garden,From the rude world set apart,Where seeds for Christ are growing;This is the loving heart.The tiny roots are loving thoughts;Sweet words, the fragrant flowersWhich blossom into loving deeds,—Ripe fruits for harvest hours.Thus in our hearts the seeds of loveAm growing year by year;And we show our love for the Saviour,By loving His children here.